Hey
@oldnotdead, I'll be 72 this year, and hope to work till 75, when I was thinking about moving to Mexico.
Can I ask why you decided to come back to the states?
Also, have you thought about Kingman?
It's high desert so it's a bit cooler than Phoenix or Tuscon.
Family issues for both me and my GF are why we are moving back. I don't know where you are looking to move to but the coastal area between Rosarito and Puerto Nuevo would be a good spot. It's beautiful and very safe. Much quieter than Rosarito. A bit more pricey but still far cheaper than the equivalent in say San Diego or OC. I lived in Dana Point, Newport Beach, Laguna Beach, Carlsbad, Del Mar and then Popotla. In 3 years I've had zero problems.
The guy that handles my DirectTV used to live in East LA. That's why I get all LA channels, + HBO and Cinemax and other premium channels with DVR for $60 / mo. Just make sure you get a Sentri card for border crossing. If you decide to go there make sure you take the cuota (Toll road), it's a beautiful scenic route for $2 (you can pay with greenbacks). It's about 25 mi to the border from where I live but today I left home at 9:30 am and crossed at 10:45.
It takes some adjustments to how you live. Honestly, it's not for everyone. I would suggest you do a trial stay for a couple of weeks before you make the move. Also, I have State Farm car insurance because they will cover my side of any claim within 50 miles of the border. You still need MX insurance for MX liability but it's cheap. Mine is only $239 for the entire year. AT&T is the big American phone carrier in MX. I have Cricketwireless and my phone works on both sides. I have a San Diego number, and all my friends and family simply dial as usual and I get the call. It cost nothing extra and MX coverage is included in their plans. Just add +1 before the area code when you make a call from inside Mexico.
Popotla fishing village is right next to the movie studio. The prop for Master & Commode is still there (Russell Crowe movie). Anyway, the fishing pangas pull on to the beach and sell their catch right there in the afternoon. The lobster there is better than in Puerto Nuevo IMO. A lobster dinner overlooking the ocean will run about $20 or so depending upon where you go and market price.
Do Google maps and look up Charly's Place, Baja and use the satellite view to see what the coast is like. I live on the hill opposite Charly's Place in a gated community. But there really is no need for the gate guard. Only residents and their help are on the streets.
Once I forgot to lock my car and it sat unlocked on the street for 3 days undisturbed. According to my TV guy, about 25-30% of the residents in the area are ex-pats from the US, Australia, UK, and Germany. The bottom line is if you can make the adjustments, you can have a good life on half of what you would need in the US.
I would say if you have $2K/mo income you will be a rich gringo. LOL My neighbor is on Social Security of $1300/mo and he gets by fine in a nice apartment. In San Diego, he was on the streets, but here he's a comfortable middle-class income single guy!
Anyway if I could have stayed I would have. But my GF who is way younger than I am wanted to move closer to her family who have problems. My brother lives in Tucson and needs help. His son has been trying to take care of him but he's got his own life to live. My brother has PTSD and agent orange issues. So my moving there will help split the burden of care.
